The first Russian Metropolitan of Kyiv. The first Russian Metropolitan of Rus' - MAMLAS

With regard to the internal governance of the Russian Metropolis, the metropolitans were completely independent; their decisions did not require patriarchal approval - primarily due to the remoteness and political independence of Rus' from the Eastern Roman Empire. At the same time, as a rule, metropolitans were elected from natives of the Empire and appointed there. Disputes surrounding the succession to the throne of the All-Russian See often arose due to the fact that the Russian princes sought to install metropolitans who were Russian by birth in Rus', and the Constantinople patriarchs held tightly to the previous order. So, on the occasion of the war between Grand Duke Yaroslav and the Empire, the Kiev See was empty for a long time, and in the year he ordered the Council of Russian Bishops to install the first Russian Metropolitan, St. Hilarion, blessed by the Patriarch only in retrospect. The election of Kliment Smolyatich as metropolitan at the Council of Russian Bishops that year led to a split between them - those who insisted on the impossibility of installing a metropolitan without patriarchal participation were initially persecuted, but then received the support of the new Grand Duke Yuri Dolgoruky. Grand Duke Rostislav was forcibly convinced to accept Metropolitan John IV, who was installed in the year without his consent, and declared that if the appointment of a metropolitan without his consent was repeated again, then not only would he not be accepted, but a law would be issued " elect and install metropolitans from among the Russians by order of the Grand Duke"However, the opinion that at this time, under the threat of a church schism, it was possible to obtain the consent of the Empire to appoint only candidates approved by the prince to the Kiev Metropolis remains unfounded. Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky made an attempt to divide the Russian Metropolis into two, asking the Patriarch to appoint presented by Prince Theodore as metropolitan of Vladimir, but the patriarch appointed Theodore only as bishop... Thus, the procedure for sending Kyiv metropolitans from the Empire remained unchanged during the pre-Mongol period.

Mongol-Tatar yoke and Western Troubles

Metropolitan Kirill III, elected in Rus' and installed in Constantinople, headed the All-Russian Metropolis for about 40 years and established a new order of its existence under the Mongols, firmly rejecting the possibility of union with Roman Catholicism. Metropolitan Kirill called himself “Archbishop of All Rus',” adhering to the concept of his supreme supervision over all the rulers of Rus', who acted by virtue of the powers entrusted by the metropolitan. The Metropolitan could no longer rule the Russian churches from devastated Kyiv and spent his life on the move, staying the longest in Vladimir-on-Klyazma, and his heir, Saint Maxim, had already finally settled in Vladimir.

The transfer of the metropolitan see to the north prompted the Grand Duke of Galicia, Yuri Lvovich, to ask for the founding of an independent metropolis for his Western Russian lands. The Galician candidate, Saint Peter, was installed not as Metropolitan of Galicia, but of Kyiv and All Rus', and in the year he moved to Moscow, where the All-Russian See was finally transferred from Vladimir by his successor, Saint Theognostus. At the same time, subsequent All-Russian metropolitans in Moscow continued to be called Kyiv. At the same time, from the beginning of the 14th century, Western Russian and Lithuanian princes have been trying to divide the Russian flock into eastern and western ones in church terms. Constantinople sometimes appointed Galician and Lithuanian metropolitans, and then again abolished these Western Russian metropolitanates. The stable existence of numerous Russian metropolises did not become established during the Mongol-Tatar period, but this period became a time of inter-jurisdictional church unrest in the Russian flock, reflecting the growing political and cultural disunity of the Russian lands. The separate Lithuanian metropolitanate has been known since the end of the 13th century; the Galician metropolitanate was established three times in the 14th century. Saint Theognostus managed to achieve their closure. In the year Metropolitan Theodoret, appointed Patriarch of Tarnovo, appeared in Kyiv, but the Council of Constantinople deposed him. Although Russian metropolitans were sometimes appointed earlier, the installation of St. Alexius in the Empire in the year caused a special conciliar decree that the consecration of a Russian was an exception and for the future All-Russian metropolitans should be appointed from the Greeks. At the same time, it was decided not to divide the Russian metropolitanate, which was soon violated by the will of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Olgerd, who was at enmity with Moscow. The boundaries of the Kiev-Moscow and Kiev-Lithuanian metropolitanates were not demarcated and the rivals interfered in each other's affairs until the death of the Lithuanian Metropolitan Roman in the year. Despite the resolution of the Council of Constantinople, Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople yielded to Casimir of Poland and Olgerd of Lithuania, again dividing the Russian metropolitanate now into three - in the year he installed Metropolitan Anthony in Galich, and in the year St. Cyprian in Kiev. However, the latter, after the death of Saint Alexy of Moscow and the unsuccessful confrontation of the Moscow Grand Dukes for more than ten years, was able to unite the Russian Orthodox flock towards the end of his life. Once again, the question of dividing the Russian metropolis was raised in the 1410s by the Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania, who, having been refused in Constantinople, himself convened a Council of Lithuanian bishops in the year which elected Gregory (Tsamblak) Metropolitan of Kiev-Lithuania. By the 1430s, a situation had arisen in which three were elected metropolitans of Kyiv at once - Bishop of Ryazan St. Jonah in the Moscow state, Bishop of Smolensk Gerasim in Lithuania and Isidore in Constantinople. The latter received the appointment, being the instrument of Emperor John Palaiologos to establish a union with Roman Catholicism. Isidore accepted the Union of Florence in the year, but in the year, upon returning to Russia, he was condemned by a council of Russian bishops and fled from custody to Rome. After many years of delay, Saint Jonah was installed in Russia without the knowledge of the Uniate Patriarch Gregory Mamma. From that time on, the metropolitanate of Kiev and All Rus', with its center in Moscow, no longer resumed its dependence on the Church of Constantinople and from the year began to be called Moscow and All Rus'. Its recognition at the universal level, already as an autocephalous Patriarchate, took place in the year at the Council of Eastern Hierarchs. For its history, see Russian Orthodox Church.

Metropolis of Southwestern Rus'

The fall of the Eastern Roman Empire, the massive departure of its elites from Orthodoxy, the strengthening of Roman Catholic expansion through Uniateism, the consolidation of the Moscow State and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - all this led to the collapse of the unity of the Russian metropolis. In the year, the former Uniate Patriarch of Constantinople Gregory left for Rome and installed Isidore's student, the Uniate Gregory, there as metropolitan of Kyiv. Pope Pius II, sending Gregory to King Casimir IV of Poland, assigned 9 dioceses to the metropolis: Bryansk, Smolensk, Przemysl, Turov, Lutsk, Vladimir-Volyn, Polotsk, Kholm and Galicia. With the refusal of the Moscow rulers from the title of Kyiv, only the metropolitans of South-Western Rus' retained it. Metropolitan Gregory was not widely recognized among believers and soon returned to the fold of the Orthodox Church, entering under the Omophorion of Constantinople. The Church of Constantinople could do little to protect the Orthodox in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the subsequent history of the Kyiv Metropolis is a constant struggle to preserve Orthodoxy in the face of Roman Catholic pressure. The see of the Kyiv metropolitans of Southwestern Rus' often moved, defections to the union among the hierarchy were a periodic problem, and relations with the authorities were often hostile. Metropolitan George lived in Lithuania, and his heirs, as a rule, had a stay in Vilna, but Metropolitan Joseph (Soltan) lived at the beginning of the 16th century for the most part in Smolensk.

The struggle for the status of Orthodoxy in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth went on with varying degrees of success. In the year, the Vilna Council tried to achieve greater independence for the Orthodox Church in Lithuania; The judicial privileges of the Russian clergy were confirmed by letters from Prince Alexander in 1965 and King Sigismund I in 1965. That year, the Grodno Sejm banned Orthodox Christians from holding senior positions in the state. Metropolitan Onesiphorus (Petrovich the Girl) petitioned Stefan Batory for a charter approving the rights and courts of the Orthodox Church, and from Sigismund III for a charter for church estates. Soon afterwards, the long-prepared cause of the abolition of Orthodoxy in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was expressed in the year in the Union of Brest, which split the ranks of the Orthodox hierarchy.

The position of the metropolitan ancient Rus' it was very high. Being the spiritual head of all Russian lands, he stood not only at the head of the church hierarchy, but was often the closest adviser to the Grand Duke, and had an important influence on the course of state life. Thus, Saints Peter, Alexy and Jonah did a lot for the rise of the Moscow prince; During the childhood of the blessed Demetrius of Donskoy, Saint Alexy was in fact the ruler of the state. The Metropolitan often acted as an arbitrator between the princes. Princely letters often began with the words " with the blessing of our father, Metropolitan,” and were also sealed with the metropolitan signature and seal.

Device in Southwestern Rus'

With the division of metropolises, the South-Western dioceses were initially administered by the 9 dioceses listed above from the middle of the century. With the introduction of the Union of Brest, these dioceses were occupied by the Uniates, and although over the years Orthodox rulers were again appointed to some, in most cases they did not govern their dioceses. By the time of the Local Council of the Metropolis in the year, seven dioceses operated within it - the Kiev Metropolitan proper, the archdioceses of Polotsk and Smolensk, the bishoprics of Przemysl, Lutsk, Lviv and Mogilev. Since the year, four dioceses have remained under the jurisdiction of Metropolitan Gideon - Galicia, Lvov, Lutsk and Przemysl; but they too were soon converted to the union, after which Gideon remained with the metropolitan diocese itself.

IN political life in the early days of the formation of the Southwestern Metropolis, the metropolitan took a place among the highest officials of the state, but with the introduction of the union, the Orthodox metropolitan lost its importance. In the 17th century, he sought to take a seat in the Senate along with the Roman Catholic metropolitans; this was promised more than once, but was not fulfilled. Metropolitans take part in councils when choosing hetmans, and also participate in the political struggle that took place in Little Russia between the Russian and Polish parties.

The sources of support for the Kyiv metropolitans consisted of the ownership of real estate, from court duties, fees for provision, coronal memorials, as well as various fees: canteens - two kopecks from each courtyard, world fees - by money, malt fees - by half a ruble, office fees - by money . The immovable estates of the Kyiv department were formed mainly through grants from state authorities, hetmans and Kyiv colonels; private individuals also donated a lot; The department itself acquired a lot of land by purchase.

Bishops

St. Michael I (988 - 992)
Theophylact (988 - to 1018)
John I (before 1018 - ca. 1030)
Theopempt (1035 - 1040s)
Cyril I (mentioned 1050)
St. Hilarion Rusin (1051 - to 1055)
Ephraim (c. 1055 - c. 1065)
George (c. 1065 - c. 1076)
St. John II (1076/1077 - 1089)
John III (1090 - 1091)
Nicholas (mentioned 1097 - 1101)
Nikephoros I (1104 - 1121)
Nikita (1122 - 1126)
Michael II (I) (1130 - 1145/1146)

Onufry Chernigovsky (1145 - 1147) v/u

Theodore (1160 - 1161/1162)
John IV (1163 - 1166)
Constantine II (mentioned 1167 - 1169)
Michael III (II) (1170 - ?)
Nikephoros II (mentioned 1183 - 1198)

Cyril II (1224 - 1233)
Joseph (1236 - 1240)

Kyiv metropolitans of the Horde-Lithuanian period

Cyril III (installed before 1242/1243, ordained ca. 1246/1247, in Rus' mentioned 1250 - 1281)
St. Maxim (1283 - December 6, 1305) in Kyiv, on his travels, from 1299/1303 in Vladimir-on-Klyazma
St. Peter (June 1308 - December 21, 1326) in Kyiv, from 1309 in Vladimir-on-Klyazma, from 1325 in Moscow

? St. Prokhor (December 1326 - 1328) v/u, ep. Rostovsky in Moscow

St. Theognostus (1328 - March 11, 1353) in Moscow
St. Alexy (Byakont) (1354 - February 12, 1378) in Moscow
St. Cyprian (Tsamblak) (1375 - September 16, 1406) in Kyiv, from 1381 in Moscow, from 1382 in Kyiv, from 1390 in Moscow

Michael IV (Mityai) (1378 - 1379) named

Pimen the Greek (ordained in 1380, accepted in 1382, deposed 1384/1385) in Moscow
St. Dionysius (1384 - October 15, 1385) imprisoned in Lithuania
St.

October 13 is the day of remembrance of St. Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', wonderworker (992).

As the Joachim Chronicle testifies, Saint Michael was a Syrian by origin; according to other chronicles, he was a Bulgarian or Serb.

When the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir decided to enlighten the Russian land with holy Baptism, he sent ambassadors to Constantinople with a request to send shepherds to Rus'. Patriarch Nicholas II Chrysoverg sent six bishops, many clergy and clergy to Korsun, led by Metropolitan Michael, a wise man of holy life. The Greeks brought with them icons, liturgical books in the Slavic language, church utensils and relics of the saints of God. As it is sung in the service to the saint, “through the poverty of unbelief, Saint Michael brought the Gospel of Christ from the reigning city of Constantinople to the possessed Russian land and gave it to her.”

In 989, Metropolitan Michael, together with the newly baptized prince, arrived from Korsun to Kyiv, where he began his zealous ministry to spread Christianity throughout the Russian state. Having baptized the 12 sons of Prince Vladimir, the boyars and the Kiev people who had gathered for this on the Dnieper, the saint began to take care of the destruction of pagan superstitions.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Michael, Grand Duke Vladimir built the Church of the Assumption in Kyiv Holy Mother of God. This temple, also called Tithes, because according to ancient church tradition the prince allocated a tenth of his income - tithes - for the construction and maintenance of it, was the largest of the Kyiv churches, and it was here that the coffin with the relics was transferred Grand Duchess Olga. The name of Metropolitan Michael is also associated with the construction St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery and the foundation of the Kiev-Mezhigorsky monastery by the monks who arrived with him from Constantinople.

After the baptism of the Kievites, the high priest, for the purpose of missionary preaching, visited the main Russian cities after Kyiv - Novgorod (990) and Rostov the Great (991). He went to Novgorod, accompanied by bishops, the princely governor Dobrynya (St. Vladimir’s maternal uncle) and Anastasy Korsunyanin. Here he destroyed idols, baptized many, built several churches and installed elders in them. In Rostov, his preaching was more successful: he baptized many people, erected a large number of churches, ordained elders and deacons for them, and established the order of church worship and administration. He founded the first wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in Rostov and installed Saint Theodore the Greek as bishop. During the years of St. Michael’s ministry, churches were also opened in Pereyaslavl, Chernigov, Belgorod, Vladimir-Volynsky and other cities of Rus'.

According to the chronicler, under Saint Michael “the Orthodox faith blossomed and shone like the sun.” Saint Michael was distinguished by meekness, humility, tirelessness in his work, and was a true father for his flock, a wise and strict hierarch, appointing presbyters, choosing experienced mentors and entrusting them with the task of teaching and raising children in the fear of God and chastity. Under him, four Bulgarian princes and one Pecheneg prince were baptized. It is also known that he sent the monk Mark to preach the Christian faith to the Muslim Volga Bulgarians. The Church has preserved the memory of the merits of the high priest: in the synodics of the Novgorod and Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedrals, he is rightfully called the “first leader” of the Russian Church.

According to the Nikon Chronicle, Saint Michael reposed in the Lord in Kyiv in 992. Tradition calls the day of his death June 15.

Initially, the relics of the saint rested in the Church of the Tithes, completed in 996, and around 1103, under the Pechersk abbot Theoktiste, they, according to the “Description of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra” by Metropolitan Eugene (Bolkhovitinov), as well as the inscription on the now destroyed shrine, in where they rested - were found incorrupt and transferred to Anthony's Cave. The relics remained in the Near Caves of the Lavra until 1730, when, on the proposal of Archimandrite Roman (Kopa) and by personal decree of July 23, on October 1 of the same year, they were transferred to the Great Cathedral Church of the Pechersk Church. Here they rested openly in a special shrine until November 3, 1941, when the cathedral church was blown up.

Saint Michael is revered as the first metropolitan of Kyiv (despite the fact that some chronicles call him the second, and the first the Greek Leontius or Leov; in the Novgorod chronicler, the list of metropolitans begins with Theopempt). It is not known exactly when the saint was canonized among the saints of God, but his name appears in the list of saints of the Anthony Cave and in the “Teraturgim” of Athanasius of Kalnofoi (1638). His name is also mentioned in the book of Akathists with canons, printed in the Pechersk printing house in 1677, in canto 9, verse 1 of the “Rules of the Venerable Fathers of Pechersk.”

The image of St. Michael is traditionally painted on the most common version of the icon of the Cathedral of Kiev-Pechersk Saints, known since the first half of the 18th century. However, in the general monthly books of the Russian Orthodox Church, he, like other Pechersk saints, was not included. By decrees of the Holy Synod of June 15, 1762, May 18, 1775 and October 31, 1784, it was allowed to print the services of St. Michael, Anthony, Theodosius and other miracle workers of Pechersk in books published by the Lavra printing house, and by decree of August 6, 1795 it was ordered was to write a detailed biography of St. Michael for placement in the Four Menaions.

"The Bishop's Arrival in Kyiv." F.Bruni

The Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kyiv, twice a year: June 15/28 - on the day of repose, and September 30 / October 13 - on the day of the transfer of the relics.

Troparion, tone 4

Today the prophecy of the First-Called Apostles has been fulfilled: behold, grace has risen on these mountains and faith has increased. And even through unbelief, the dilapidated Divine font was born and people were renewed, the royal priesthood, the holy language, the flock of Christ, to whom you appeared as the first shepherd, as you first served with Baptism. And now, standing before the Master Christ God, pray to all Russian sons to be saved: for you have boldness as a hierarch of God and a clergyman.

Prayer to St. Michael

Great and glorious holy archpastor and our father Michael, the first throne of the Russian country and enlightener, trustworthy intercessor of all Christian tribes before God, we pray to you: help us to be an imitator of your love for God, with which you were filled in your earthly belly. Enlighten our minds and hearts with the light of Divine teaching. Teach us to follow you faithfully and to diligently do the commandments of the Lord, so that we may be known as your children not only by name, but by all our lives. Pray, Equal-to-the-Apostles hierarch, for our Church, for your city and for our entire Fatherland, look mercifully on all your faithful readers who seek your help: be a healer to everyone in illness, a comforter in sorrows and sorrows, a helper in troubles and needs, in times of need. mortal intercessor and patron, may with your help we sinners also be worthy to receive salvation and inherit the Kingdom of Christ. To her, the saint of Christ, if you are willing to help us, and trust in your help, let us glorify the wondrous God in our saints, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

About Saint Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kiev - in interesting facts and with discrepancies

Saint Michael of Kyiv has always been especially revered in Rus' - both by church people and by people far from the Church. If not everyone knows that he was the first Metropolitan of Kyiv and a contemporary of the holy Grand Duke Vladimir, then practically everyone has heard that he was the founder of the St. Michael's Golden-Domed and St. Michael's Vydubitsky monasteries.

True, with the adoption of the Constitution of Ukraine, the day of memory of the first Metropolitan of Kyiv Michael, which also falls on June 28, faded into the shadows. But despite the fact that for some time the magnificent celebrations on this day have been dedicated not to the saint, but to the Constitution, interest in the personality of Metropolitan Michael does not disappear. Moreover, discussions around the saint, which historians and theologians have been conducting since time immemorial, also do not stop.

Did Metropolitan Michael really live under Prince Vladimir and was the first metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus', could he have founded the St. Michael's Golden-Domed and St. Michael's Vydubitsky monasteries, and how did his honorable relics end up in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, if the cathedral church of the Kyiv Metropolitans was the St. Sophia Cathedral? Vladislav Dyatlov, an employee of the Synodal Information and Educational Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, head of the “Underground Kiev” department of the Museum of History of Kiev, spoke about these controversial issues in interesting facts and with discrepancies.

“The Church, while giving due credit to learning and books, cannot bring the mood of debate into prayer.”

Encyclopedic literature and the Internet are replete with references to the fact that the veneration of St. Michael by the first Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus' began only in XVI century and that the dates of his earthly life are debatable. Why?

These problematic issues are mentioned, in particular, by the “Orthodox Encyclopedia”: an introductory volume without a number, entitled “The Russian Orthodox Church”. The reason is also indicated there: in various handwritten versions of the Church Charter of the Holy Prince Vladimir or, in a scientific way, editions, formed, it is believed, during the 13th century, the name of the first metropolitan is either Leon or Mikhail. In later editions, both names are named, but either Michael after Leontes, or Leontes after Michael. The discrepancy continued into the chronicles of the 16th-17th centuries. Accordingly, in science there were both supporters of the primacy of Leontes and Michael.

Both of them presented their arguments. But the Church, while paying tribute to scholarship and books, cannot bring the mood of debate into prayer - harmony is needed here! And so, in the church tradition, a view was adopted that “gives” primacy to St. Michael - following the initial part of the Nikon Chronicle of 1526-1530 and the “Degree Book” of 1560-1563. Perhaps the decision was influenced by a completely justified desire for symbolism: through the holy Archangel Michael, the Lord cast down the devil, and the right-wing faith in the person of St. Michael shone on the Kiev mountains, triumphing over the idols thrown into the Dnieper.

Regardless of who was the first in reality, the activity of both metropolitans in the chronicles dates back to the reign of St. Vladimir, which means that St. Michael, in any case, carried out ascetic labors associated with the churching of Rus'.

Here we need to remember one more point: the Church Charter of Vladimir says that the prince “brought” the metropolitan “from Patriarch Photius,” but Saint Photius was the Patriarch of Constantinople a hundred years before Vladimir - during the time of Prince Askold! At the same time, a number of Byzantine sources report that under Bishop Photius, the Russians converted to the faith of Christ and accepted the archbishop. Alas, as is known from the same Nikon Chronicle, Askold’s Christian endeavors were interrupted by Oleg’s coup...

And here we come to the source of another controversy: some historians believe that the archbishop sent under Askold was called Michael, and only an error by the editors of the Charter connected him with Baptism under St. Vladimir; others see a mistake in mentioning the name of Saint Photius.

“Different sources served as the basis for the creation of the Lives of the Saint, but...”

Most of the saints revered by the Church are told not only in chronicles or annals, but, first of all, in Lives. How “informative” is the Life of the Saint, against the background of the discrepancies you mentioned?

Only in 1795 was the decree of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church followed on the writing of a detailed Life of St. Michael for inclusion in the Chetii-Minea - a set of hagiographic readings in the church for each day of the year in accordance with the calendar. But, according to Metropolitan Evgeniy (Bolkhovitinov) of Kyiv, such a Life was absent even in 1831. IN mid-19th century, brief compilative Lives of St. Michael appeared in the anonymous “Historical Dictionary of Russian Saints” and the hagiographic code of the Chernigov Archbishop St. Philaret (Gumilevsky).

The basis for the creation of these Lives was different sources. For example, a characteristic of the saint was borrowed from the Nikon Chronicle - let’s open it up and read it: “ This metropolitan was very teaching, and very wise, and great in life and very strong, born as a Sirin, quiet, and meek, and humble, and very merciful; sometimes he is scary and fierce, when time is of the essence. You honor him Volodimer, and you were with him in harmony and love».

There is no need to be afraid of the words “terrible and fierce” - we're talking about about the necessary measure of severity: one can recall an episode from Nikolai Leskov’s essays “Little things in the life of a bishop,” when the kindest Kiev Saint Philaret (Amphitheaters) deliberately assumed the appearance of an unforgiving judge in order to intimidate one careless monk.

The Nikon Chronicle also conveys to us many other news about St. Michael, the essence of which boils down to the fact that all the steps in the matter of churching Rus' were taken by him in collaboration with St. Vladimir. But I note that all this, including the characterization of the archpastor, resembles a probabilistic reconstruction: the chronicler outlined what, taking into account the historical context, should have taken place in the real life of the first metropolitan - the edification of the flock with words and personal example, construction and consecration of temples, collaboration with the Grand Duke, a wise combination of gentleness and firmness in relations with people.

The Nikon Chronicle dates the death of the saint to the year 992. It is impossible not to mention one more thing: if the Nikon Chronicle calls St. Michael a Syrian by origin, then the Joakimov Chronicle, included in Vasily Tatishchev’s “Russian History,” calls it a Bulgarian.

“I solve the problem of the paucity of documentary information about St. Michael by turning in prayer to the entire Cathedral of Saints of the Kiev-Pechersk”

But if the hagiographic information about St. Michael is reconstructed, then we may be asked the question: how justified is his veneration?

I mentioned reconstruction because in our time we need to be able to understand the origin of any church tradition - so as not to confuse genuine Orthodoxy with various kinds of fakes or painful growths. However, in the case of St. Michael, the presence of reconstructions in his Life does not deprive us of grounds to honor the memory of the archpastor and prayerfully turn to him.

Taking into account the same historical context, I dare to say that it is unlikely that Byzantium, weakened by internal unrest and interested in peace and allied relations with Russia, would have risked sending a hierarch with a dubious reputation to Kiev at the time of Vladimirov’s Baptism. On the contrary, this person was supposed to be a mirror of piety. Well, if we leave science and talk about prayer, then the natural thought coming from the heart is that Saint Michael, having served on earth as the first or one of the first archpastors of Rus', intercedes with even greater boldness for his flock in the High World.

For myself personally, I solve the problem of the paucity of documentary information about St. Michael by turning in prayer to the entire Council of Saints of the Kiev-Pechersk, in the host of which this archpastor is revered: one of the resting places of his relics was considered the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, dear to the heart of every Orthodox Kievite.

“Either one day a motive unknown to us arose for transferring the relics of St. Michael I to the Lavra, or...”

How did the relics of the saint end up in the Lavra, since the cathedral church of the Kyiv metropolitans was St. Sophia Cathedral, and where is this shrine located today?

In 1635, under the patronage of the Kyiv saint Peter Mohyla, the first printed edition of the “Kievo-Pechersk Patericon” was published - an ancient Russian collection of Lives of the Lavra ascetics, which was gradually formed in the 11th-15th centuries. Since this was a time of intense polemics with Catholicism and Uniateism, the printed edition of the book included additions that made the Patericon an encyclopedia on the history of the churching of Russians, allowing us to see in the Pechersk saints a worthy fruit of this churching, to be convinced of the presence of apostolic succession and the grace of the Orthodox Church in Rus'.

Among the additions are the following words: “ When the Russian sovereign Vladimir Svyatoslavich was baptized, he took the first metropolitan Michael from the patriarch. Having arrived in Kyiv, he sanctified the Russian people with holy Baptism and taught the right faith. For such exploits and a pious life, he still lies incorrupt in the cave of St. Anthony, as evidenced by the table that has long hung above him" Let me remind you: the “cave of St. Anthony” is the Near Caves of the Lavra.

A kind of continuation of the first printed “Paterikon” was the book of the Lavra monk Afanasy Kalnofoysky, published in 1638, “Teraturgima, or Miracles that took place both in the most holy and miraculous monastery of the Kiev-Pechersk, and in both holy caves.” She talks about the latest miracles at that time, revealed at the Lavra shrines. The book contains the first detailed maps Near and Far caves.

Thanks to these maps, we know that the relics of St. Michael rested where the relics of St. Simon of Suzdal now lie. At that time, the pilgrimage route through the Near Caves was such that the relics of St. Michael were the first on the path of visitors. The card legend reads: “ Saint Metropolitan Michael rests in peace.The one who was sent from the Constantinople Patriarch Sergius, or, as others say, from Nicholas Christoverg, with the baptized Vladimir Svyatoslavich for the baptism of Rus', and who baptized her».

For reference: Patriarch Nicholas II Chrysoverg occupied the See of Constantinople in 980-992, Sergius II the Studite in 1001-1019.

Indeed, there is something to think about: the Lavra was founded in 1051, and St. Michael died in 992 - how did his relics end up in the caves? There are several versions about this.

The first is stated in the description of the Lavra by Metropolitan Evgeniy (Bolkhovitinov) in 1831: “ He was buried in the Tithe Church. Around 1103, under the Pechersk abbot Theoktiste, his relics were transferred to the Anthony Cave" Unfortunately, the learned ruler does not indicate the source of this information, but in the Lavra this version has become traditional.

Another version is offered by contemporary researcher Irina Zhilenko in her 1997 book “Miracles of the Lavra Caves”: the relics of the saint were transferred to the Lavra after the destruction of Kyiv and the Tithe Church by Batu Khan in 1240.

Professor Evgeniy Golubinsky, seeing in the first Saint Michael a contemporary of Patriarch Photius, believed that he baptized the Russians of the Black Sea region, and subsequently his relics were transferred to the Lavra from Tmutarakan, with which the Pechersk monks maintained contacts. This version is reflected in the “History of the Russian Church” published by the scientist in 1901.

In 1915, historian Ivan Kamanin expressed a hypothesis in a book about the Kiev-Zverinetsky Caves, according to which the Lavra relics of St. Michael belonged to Metropolitan Michael II. According to the chronicles, he occupied the Kyiv See in 1131-1145 and then left for Constantinople. Only the later Gustyn Chronicle reports that in 1145, Bishop Michael reposed after leaving Kyiv.

It is difficult to determine which version is closer to the truth. For now, we can only say the following: either one day a motive unknown to us arose for transferring the relics of St. Michael I to the Lavra, or the relics venerated there belonged to the same-named archpastor.

Maps from 1661-1703 indicate that the relics of St. Michael were on the right side of the underground Church of the Entry of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the oldest church in the Near Caves. Now the relics of St. Ephraim of Pereyaslav rest in this place. In 1730, the relics of St. Michael were solemnly transferred to the Great Pechersk Church - the Assumption Cathedral of the Lavra, which was extensively renovated after the fire of 1718. Their fate after the explosion of the temple in 1941 remained, unfortunately, unknown.

“It is the “Canon of the Pechersk Saints” that is, so to speak, the first act of canonization of St. Michael”

You spoke about the necessary harmony in the liturgical address to the saints. How did the liturgical veneration of St. Michael develop?

In 1643, the Lavra published the “Rule of prayer for our reverend fathers of Pechersk and all the saints who shone in Little Rus', sung when and where anyone pleases,” compiled in the entourage of St. Peter Mogila. It is also known as the “Canon of the Pechersk Saints”. In his 9th canto, Saint Michael is glorified as the first in the ranks of the holy metropolitans of Kyiv. Following him are Hilarion, Peter, Alexy, Jonah, Photius and Cyprian.

It is this “Canon” that is, so to speak, the first act of canonization of St. Michael. But Little Rus' was then still part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and therefore in another part of Rus' - Muscovy - the name of St. Michael was not yet included in the calendar.

In the 1680s, the future Saint Demetrius of Rostov compiled a service to the saints, whose relics rest in the Near Caves. In the canon of this service there is a luminary listing the same holy metropolitans of Kyiv, starting with Bishop Michael. In 1745, a separate service to St. Michael was compiled. But it was only in 1762 that permission was received to print these services and to include the name of St. Michael in the general monthly books of the Russian Orthodox Church.

“It is more pleasant for each monastery to consider itself more ancient, but even a probabilistic reconstruction of past events must take place within adequate limits”

St. Michael is credited with founding a whole “constellation” of monasteries in Kyiv: St. Michael’s Golden-Domed, St. Michael’s Vydubitsky, Spaso-Preobrazhensky Mezhigorsky. Was he really their founder?

- “The Word on Law and Grace” of the Kyiv Saint Hilarion - a contemporary of the blessed prince Yaroslav the Wise - says that under Saint Vladimir in the lands of Rus' “ monasteries on the Stasha mountains" And the chronicle “Tale of Bygone Years” dates the appearance of the first monasteries in Rus' to the era of Prince Yaroslav. The question of this discrepancy remains open.

The compromise approach is as follows: under Vladimir, the first small monastic communities of invited Greeks could appear, and under Yaroslav, the number of such communities increased, and then the first monastery of the Russians, the Lavra, was founded. As for the three monasteries you named, not everything is clear.

The oral tradition about the founding of the Golden-Domed and Vydubitsky monasteries by Saint Michael was recorded at the end of the 17th century and included in his “Chronicle” by the abbot of this monastery, Theodosius Safonovich. According to this legend, the Golden-Domed Monastery was founded near the site of the overthrow of the statue of Perun, and Vydubitsky - near the place where the idol washed ashore was drowned with the help of a tied stone. But the Tale of Bygone Years mentions the Vydubitsky Monastery only from 1070, the Golden-Domed Cathedral from 1108, and says about Perun that it ran aground at the rapids of the Dnieper.

The Mezhigorsky Monastery has been mentioned in acts since 1520, and only in 1625 its brethren compiled a synodik, which says that in 1161 Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky founded the Church of the White Savior, that is, the Transfiguration, on that site. In turn, the ancient Ipatiev Chronicle mentions under this date only the existence of a “goddess” north of Vyshgorod. And the news of the founding of the Mezhygorsk monastery by Greek monks who came to Kyiv with St. Michael is first found in the description of the Lavra by Metropolitan Eugene (Bolkhovitinov).

Yes, it is more pleasant for every monastery to consider itself more ancient, but even a probabilistic reconstruction of past events must take place within adequate limits. Otherwise we risk having a fictitious history of the Church. And this is not only a temptation for outsiders, but also death for the Orthodox themselves, since it carries with it a separation from reality. Christ taught to acquire holiness in the real world of Divine beauty and human fall as a result of demonic deception. And, according to the prayers of St. Michael, we need to learn this. Knowledge about the history of our shrines, cleared of exaggerations, helps us to focus more not on the path to the fictitious ancient Russian city of Kitezh, but to the Heavenly Fatherland - to the Risen Savior. If we “bring” the history of all our monasteries to the time of St. Vladimir, then how can we then rejoice that, in fact, each subsequent century “gave” new shrines to Rus', proving the continuous action of God’s grace on our land?..

Prepared by Olga Mamona

Saint Michael, first Metropolitan of Kiev

PRAYERS

Troparion of St. Michael, Metropolitan of Kyiv
voice 4

Today the prophecy among the Apostles of the First-Called has been fulfilled:/ Behold, on these mountains grace has risen and faith has multiplied./ And who, through unbelief, was born/ was born in the Divine font/ and there was a people renewed,/ the royal priesthood, the holy language, the flock of Christ,/ to whom you appeared as the first shepherd Thou art,/ as having served first through Baptism./ And now, standing before the Lord Christ God,/ pray to all Russian sons to be saved:/ for you have boldness, as a hierarch of God and a clergyman.

Troparion of St. Michael
voice 4

Today the prophecy in the apostles of the First-Called has been fulfilled, / for on these mountains grace has risen and faith has multiplied. / And from unbelief, which had become dilapidated / the divine font was born / and there was a renewal of people, a royal priesthood, / a holy language, the flock of Christ, / to whom you appeared as the first shepherd You,/ as you first served with Baptism./ And now, standing before the Lord Christ God,/ pray for all the sons of the Russians to be saved,// and have boldness, as a hierarch of God and a clergyman.

Kontakion of St. Michael, Metropolitan of Kyiv
voice 2

The second Moses appeared to Russia, Father, / carrying the mental grapes from Egyptian idolatry / into the land foreseen by prophecy. / There will be, he said, the establishment of faith on earth, / and on the top of the Kiev mountains it will be exalted more than Lebanon / the fruit that nourishes the whole world. / Having tasted from the worthless ,/ let us please you, Michael, hierarch of God.

Kontakion of St. Michael
voice 2

The second Moses appeared to Russia, Father, / carrying the mental grapes / from Egyptian idolatry into the land, foreseen by prophecy: / there will be, he said, the establishment of faith on earth, / and on the tops of the Kiev mountains it will exalt itself more than Lebanon / The fruit that nourishes the whole world, / from Having tasted something worthless, // let us please you, Michael, hierarch of God.

Prayer to Michael, first Metropolitan of Kyiv

Great and glorious holy archpastor and our father Michael, the first throne of the Russian country and enlightener, trustworthy intercessor of all Christian tribes before God, we pray to you: help us to be an imitator of your love for God, with which you were filled in your earthly belly. Enlighten our minds and hearts with the light of Divine teaching. Teach us to follow you faithfully and to diligently do the commandments of the Lord, so that we may be known as your children not only by name, but also by all our lives. Pray, Equal to the Apostles, hierarch, for the Russian Church, for your city and monastery, in which your saints rest incorruptibly, and for our entire Fatherland, look mercifully on all your faithful admirers who seek your help: be a healer to everyone in sickness, in sorrow and a comforter to the sorrowful, a helper in troubles and needs, and in the hour of death an intercessor and patron, so that with your help we, too, sinners, may be worthy to receive salvation and inherit the Kingdom of Christ. To her, the saint of Christ, if you are willing to help us, and trust in your help, let us glorify the wondrous God in His saints, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

His “Sermon on Law and Grace” became a philosophical substantiation of the new meaning of the existence of Rus'

In the middle of the 11th century, an event occurred in Kyiv, which the ancient Russian chronicler described with just one phrase, placed in the “Tale of Bygone Years” under 1051: “Yaroslav the Rusyn Hilarion appointed metropolitan, having gathered bishops for this purpose.”

Meanwhile, the event that happened in Kyiv in 1051 was far from ordinary. After all, for the first time the Kyiv metropolitan see was headed by a native of Russia - Presbyter Hilarion. Before Hilarion, this most important church-political post was occupied exclusively by Greeks appointed from Byzantium.

The desire for independence

We know practically nothing about the life of Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kyiv. There are only two mentions in the Tale of Bygone Years, a record of similar content at the end of the Confession of Faith by Hilarion himself (or on his behalf), a reference by Simon to the Life of Anthony (about the installation of Hilarion as a presbyter and tonsure of Hilarion by Anthony) and a mention of the name Hilarion in the church "Charter of Yaroslav".

In particular, the Tale of Bygone Years reports that before his appointment as metropolitan, Hilarion served as a presbyter (i.e., senior priest) in the village of Berestovoy, in the princely church in the name of the Holy Apostles. He was a very pious man. For solitary prayer, he often left Berestovoe to the high, mountainous bank of the Dnieper, overgrown with dense forest, which sloped steeply to the river waters. And Hilarion dug a small cave in that mountain. Here, in this cave, he offered his prayers to God. Grand Duke Yaroslav loved Hilarion very much, often consulted with him, listened to his opinion. And therefore, when the need arose, Prince Yaroslav invited priest Hilarion to lead the Russian church. Hilarion's installation as metropolitan took place solemnly in the new, newly built St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.

In the very fact of the election of Bishop Hilarion by the council as metropolitans of Kyiv, two things can be seen important points. On the one hand, this is an attempt to revive the traditions of the early (still Vladimir’s time) Russian church, the head of which was elected by all bishops. On the other hand, there is a noticeable desire to emphasize the independence of the Kyiv state from Byzantium, both in the church and in the political sense.

#comm#And it was not without reason that Hilarion himself, unlike the Greek metropolitans, strove for the Russian Church to gain an independent position and supported the idea of independence for the entire Russian state.#/comm#

Hilarion's activities as Metropolitan of Kyiv are known to us fragmentarily. In particular, information has been preserved that Hilarion consecrated the Kyiv Church of St. George, the heavenly patron of Prince Yaroslav, and ordained newly installed bishops there. In addition, together with Prince Yaroslav, they developed a church charter-legal code, which went down in history under the name “Yaroslav’s Charter.”

However, soon the great princes of Kyiv again turned to the patronage of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Apparently, among other things, the division of churches that occurred in 1054 played an important role here. And Hilarion’s name is not mentioned anywhere else. According to church tradition, it is generally accepted that last years Hilarion spent his life in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, where he rested.

Writer and philosopher

Nevertheless, the personality of Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kyiv, undoubtedly belongs to the most significant in national history. After all, he made a significant contribution to the formation of Russian culture, creating the first Russian literary and philosophical work - “The Word of Law and Grace.”

The Discourse on Law and Grace was written between 1037 and 1050. It was very popular in Rus'; it is not without reason that more than fifty of its copies of the 15th-16th centuries are known today in various editions. In addition, Metropolitan Hilarion owns two texts - “Prayer” and “Confession of Faith”, which are usually published together with the “Word”.

Logical analysis allows us to divide the “Word of Law and Grace” into three component parts. The first is a kind of philosophical and historical introduction. It is based on reasoning about the relationship between the Old and New Testaments - “Law and Grace”. The meaning of such reasoning is varied. On the one hand, this is a continuation of a purely theological dispute between the Western, Roman Church and the Eastern, Orthodox Church. The fact is that Western Christianity revered the Old Testament as a collection of various kinds of legal norms, as a justification for the pragmatic aspirations characteristic of the Western world. In the east, the Old Testament was given much less importance.

Hilarion in his "Word" stands closer to the Eastern Church. He says: “First the Law was given, and then Grace; first the shadow, and then the truth.”

#comm#Thus, Hilarion emphasizes that following the norms of the Old Testament alone does not lead people to the salvation of the soul, just as the knowledge of the Law ("shadow") of the ancient Jews did not save.#/comm#

Moreover, preference for the Old Testament can lead to Judaism. Only New Testament(“truth”) given to humanity by Jesus Christ is Grace, for Jesus, by his death, atoned for all human sins, and by his posthumous resurrection opened the path to salvation for all peoples.

To prove his thought, Hilarion writes a lengthy discussion on the biblical parable of Sarah and Hagar. This reasoning is the first example of a symbolic-allegorical interpretation of biblical stories in Russian literature. Subsequently, the symbolic interpretation of the Bible will become the main method in the work of ancient Russian scribes.

The essence of the parable is this. Sarah, the wife of the forefather Abraham, was barren for a long time. And Abraham, on the advice of his wife, begat a son, Ishmael, from the slave girl Hagar. But the Lord had mercy on Sarah, and in her old age she was also able to give birth to a son, Jacob.

The meaning of this parable, according to Hilarion, is very deep. Hagar is an image of the Old Testament, the Law. Her son is born earlier, but, born of a slave, continues to remain a slave himself. Sarah is a symbol of the New Testament, Grace, which gives birth to a free Jacob. Likewise, the Old Testament cannot be true, although it came before the New Testament. Therefore, it is not the “birthright” that is decisive, but the fact that the Lord sent the truth to people in the Testaments of Jesus Christ. “The law existed before and rose somewhat, but it passed away,” says Hilarion. “And the Christian faith, which appeared last, became greater than the first and spread into many languages. And the Grace of Christ, having declared the whole earth, covered it, like the waters of the sea.”

In Hilarion's discussion of Sarah and Hagar, two important ideas can be traced. Firstly, Christ's Grace is so significant that it saves all people who have received Holy Baptism, regardless of when the baptism itself occurred. Secondly, the mere fact of baptism is enough for people who accepted it to be worthy of salvation. “Christian salvation is gracious and abundant, extending to all the edges of the earth...” writes Hilarion. “Christians, by the haste of truth and Grace, are not justified, but are saved.”

Finding the way

In the second part of the Lay, Hilarion develops the ideas of salvation by Grace alone, already applied to Rus'. The Baptism of Rus', performed by Grand Duke Vladimir, showed that Grace had spread to Russian borders. Consequently, the Lord did not despise Rus', but saved it, leading it to the knowledge of the truth. “And we are no longer called idolaters,” writes Hilarion, “but Christians, not still living without hope, but hoping for eternal life.”

Having accepted Rus' under his protection, the Lord granted it greatness. And now this is not an “unknown” and “seedy” land, but the Russian land, “which is known in all the four corners of the world that have heard about it.” Moreover, Christian Rus' can hope for a great and wonderful future, for it is predetermined by God's providence.

The third part of the Lay is devoted to the glorification of the great princes of Kyiv. First of all, we are talking about Prince Vladimir (baptized Vasily), whom “the Almighty visited with His visit.” In addition, Hilarion glorifies Prince Yaroslav the Wise (baptized George), whose contemporary and comrade-in-arms the Metropolitan himself was. But it is interesting that Hilarion also glorifies the pagans Igor and Svyatoslav, who laid the foundation for the future power of the Russian state. Moreover, in his work Hilarion refers to the Russian princes with the title “Kagan”. But this title in those days was equivalent to the title of emperor. And Hilarion compares Prince Vladimir himself with the Byzantine Emperor Constantine.

As you can see, the theological reasoning of Metropolitan Hilarion is the basis for serious historical and political generalizations and conclusions. Evidence in favor of Grace gives Metropolitan Hilarion the opportunity to show the place and role of Rus' in world history, to demonstrate the greatness of his homeland, for Rus' was sanctified by Grace, and not by Law.

In fact, “The Lay” is a song of praise to Rus' and its princes. And the chanting of the dignity and glory of the Russian land and the descendants of Igor the Old who reigned there is directed directly against the political claims of Byzantium.

#comm#"The Word of Law and Grace" also illustrates the first steps of Christianity in Ancient Rus'.#/comm#

It is not difficult to notice that Hilarion’s Christianity has a pronounced optimistic character, it is permeated with the belief that salvation will be given to everyone who has received holy baptism, that Christianity itself has transformed Rus'. Consequently, in the interpretation of Christian doctrine, Metropolitan Hilarion is close to early Russian Christianity, which has its origins in the Cyril and Methodius tradition.

Another area of activity of Metropolitan Hilarion is interesting. Largely on his initiative and with the support of Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise, already in the 11th century, an active movement for the church-wide canonization of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich and his grandmother Princess Olga began. And this meant that the ancient Russian princes and scribes strive to ensure that the Russian people, who are the personification of the new chosen path of Rus', are also awarded the aura of holiness.

Metropolitan Hilarion, in his “Sermon on Law and Grace,” writes a word of praise to Vladimir, comparing him with the Emperor Constantine, who in the 4th century recognized Christianity as the state religion and was canonized for this: “Oh, similar to the great Constantine, equal to him in mind, equal in love for Christ, equal in respect for His servants!.. He subjugated the kingdom to God in the Hellenic and Roman lands, but you are in Rus'... He and his mother Elena established the faith by bringing the cross from Jerusalem and spreading it throughout the world yours, - you and your grandmother Olga confirmed the faith, bringing the cross from the new Jerusalem, the city of Constantine, and placing it throughout your entire land. And, like one like him, the Lord made you in heaven a partaker of the same glory and honor as a reward for your piety, which you have acquired in your life." These and other words of Metropolitan Hilarion present a whole program for the canonization of Vladimir, as the intercessor and benefactor of Rus', as an equal to the apostles.

According to some researchers, the official glorification of Vladimir was prevented by the Greek metropolitans who established themselves in the Kyiv metropolis in the second half of the 11th century. The reasons for this were the circumstances of the baptism of the Kyiv prince, and, most importantly, the non-Byzantine origins of the earliest Russian Christianity, brought to Rus' in the Cyril and Methodius tradition. It is no coincidence that in 1039, the Greek Metropolitan Theopempt re-consecrated the Church of the Tithes, which was founded by Vladimir, and in which his remains were kept in a marble sarcophagus. As a result, the official canonization of Vladimir was delayed for two centuries and occurred only in the 13th century.

However, the very desire of the Russian people to find their saints already in the 11th century is very characteristic. This meant that the Christian idea of posthumous salvation and resurrection became relevant for Rus', because the Russian people had found the true faith. This means that the path to salvation was opening before Russia. And in the reflections of Metropolitan Hilarion, for whom the joy of finding a new faith is direct evidence of the acquisition of a new meaning of the existence of Rus' on earth, we find the first justification for the new meaning of the earthly existence of Rus'.

In the historiosophical sense, Metropolitan Hilarion continued and developed the line begun in the chronicle tradition, making efforts to “inscribe” the history of Rus' into biblical history. Numerous biblical analogies that fill the text of “The Word of Law and Grace” allow the author to present Rus' as a state that has joined the ranks of other Christian states and occupies the most worthy place in this series. But the conscious and demonstrative preference of the New Testament to the Old also proved the independence of Rus' both in comparison with the West and in comparison with the East.

Special for the Centenary

Having residences in Novogrudok, Kyiv and Vilna, they began to be called Metropolitans of Kyiv, Galicia and All Rus', since Kyiv remained the cathedral city.

In 1595, the Kiev Metropolis accepted a union with the Roman Catholic Church, thus becoming Catholic, and forming the Russian Uniate Church, the primate of which retained the title Metropolitan of Kiev, Galicia and All Rus'.

In 1620, the Orthodox Metropolis of Kiev was restored, the head of which again began to bear the title Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus'.

In 1686, after the annexation of Ukraine to Russia, the Kiev Metropolis was annexed to the Moscow Patriarchate.

Metropolis of Kyiv (988-1458)

Name	Start	End	Note
Michael I	988	991	There are two opinions about the time of his administration of the Kyiv Metropolis: some consider him the first Metropolitan of Kyiv, others consider him the second, after Leonty. The issue remains controversial. The original tradition of the Russian Church recognized Michael as the first Metropolitan of Kyiv.
Leonty	992	1007	There are two opinions about the time of his administration of the Kyiv Metropolis: some consider him the first Metropolitan of Kyiv, others the second, after St. Michael. The issue remains controversial.
Theophylact	? 987	? 987	The first Metropolitan of Kiev attested by sources. According to some sources, he was the first Metropolitan of Kyiv. According to others, he followed Michael and ruled in 991-997.
John I	1008	1035	Possibly the first metropolitan of Russian origin.
Theopempt	OK. 1035	1039
Cyril I the Greek	OK. 1050	?	Not mentioned in Russian chronicles, only mentioned in 1050 in 1624-1626.
Hilarion Rusin	1051	1054	The first metropolitan whose Russian origin is considered reliable.
Ephraim	1054-1055	OK. 1065
Georgiy	OK. 1065	OK. 1076
John II	no later than 1076-1077	after August 1089
John III	summer 1090	previously 14 August 1091
Nikolay	OK. 1093	previously 1104
Nikephoros I	18 December 1104	April 1121
Nikita	15 October 1122	March 9, 1126	After him, the see of the Russian Metropolis remained idle for about five years.
Michael II	summer 1130	1145	Based on his message, one can guess that Michael resigned from the rank of metropolitan (signed off to the metropolis) during a crisis, the culprit of which, apparently, was himself.
Kliment Smolyatich	27 July 1147	beginning 1155	The first Russian theologian, the second metropolitan of Russian origin. The Kiev prince Izyaslav Mstislavich appointed Kliment Smolyatich as metropolitan without the sanction of the Patriarch of Constantinople, which caused great displeasure and opposition among the Greek clergy. After the death of Izyaslav (1154) he was forced to leave the metropolitan see.
Constantine I	1156-1158	1159	He deposed all the hierarchs appointed by Clement Smolyatich. The princes decided to remove both former metropolitans, Clement and Constantine, from the department, and ask the Patriarch of Constantinople for a new high priest for Russia. But Konstantin died before making a decision.
Theodore	August 1160	June 1163	After the death of Theodore, there was talk of re-installing Clement Smolyatich.
John IV	spring 1164	1166
Constantine II	1167	1169-1170	Came into conflict with the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery; subjected the Pechersk abbot Polycarp to penance. This measure caused such irritation against him that the sack of Kyiv by the troops of Andrei Bogolyubsky was considered as divine retribution for “the untruth of the metropolitan.”
Michael III	spring 1171	?	Unknown to Russian sources.
Nikephoros II	previously 1183	after 1201
Matthew	earlier 1210	19 August 1220
Cyril I (II) Blessed	1224-1225	summer 1233
Joseph	1242-1247	?
Kirill III	1242-1247	November 27, 1281
Maksim	1283	6 December 1305	He moved the metropolitan residence (“seat”) from Kyiv to Bryansk, and then (in 1299) to Vladimir.
Peter	1308	21 December 1326	The first of the Kyiv metropolitans who had a permanent residence in Moscow (since 1325).
Theognostus	1328	1353
Alexy (Byakont)	1354	1378
Mikhail (Mityai)		1379	The named metropolitan was installed as a prince. To confirm the rank of metropolitan, Mityai was forced to make a trip to Constantinople, during which he died.
Cyprian	1381	1383	The figure of Cyprian, not acceptable for Constantinople (he was not a canonically appointed metropolitan), was also unacceptable for the Horde (since he could not represent Constantinople). Cyprian was removed from Moscow, and Pimen was returned from exile and took the throne of the Metropolis of All Rus'.
Pimen	1382	1384, actually until 1389
Dionysius	1383	1385
Cyprian	1390	1406	Repeatedly.
Photius	1408	1431
Gerasim	1433	1435
Isidore	1437	1458	During the years of Metropolitan Isidore's bishopric, a parallel Metropolitan, Jonah, was installed in Moscow.
And she	1448	1461	Parallel to Isidore.

Since 1461, after the beginning of autocephaly of the Eastern Russian dioceses that were part of the Moscow state, the metropolitans who had a see in Moscow began to be called Moscow and All Rus' (or Russia).

Metropolitans of Kyiv, Galicia and All Rus' (1458-1596)

Metropolis of Kyiv (since 1620)

In 1620, Patriarch Theophan III of Jerusalem consecrated a new Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus' (as well as bishops to other sees). The Metropolis was restored in Kyiv.

Job Boretsky (1620-1631)
Isaiah Kopinsky-Borisovich (07/20/1631 - 10/05/1640)

The new work of Archimandrite Macarius is dedicated to the All-Russian Metropolitans of the X-XVI centuries. The author examines the holy ministry of all the Primates of the Russian Church from 988 to 1586. This period of time can be called the Metropolitan period, which turned out to be the longest in the history of the Russian Church and preceded the Patriarchal period. At the first stage of its history, the Russian Church was a metropolitanate of the Greek Church, and Russian Metropolitans were appointed by the Patriarchs of Constantinople. Subsequently, starting from 1448, the Moscow Primates became autocephalous and were installed on the All-Russian throne in Moscow itself. The book is equipped with an extensive bibliography and publications of the handwritten heritage of Russian saints - spiritual letters, district messages, words and teachings. The publication is of interest to historians of the Church, as well as to all those who are interested in the spiritual history of our Fatherland.

Archimandrite Makariy (Veretennikov) was born in 1951 in the city of Magnitogorsk. He completed his secondary education in 1969 in the city of Karaganda. In 1972, with the blessing of Metropolitan Joseph of Alma-Ata and Kazakhstan († 1975), he applied for admission to the Moscow Theological Seminary. In 1974 he graduated from MDS and entered the Academy. In 1978 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy with a candidate of theology degree for the presented work “All-Russian Metropolitan Macarius and his church-educational activities.” Since September 1978 he taught History of the Russian Church at the seminary. On March 17, 1982, the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Jerome († 1982), in the Trinity Cathedral, tonsured a monk in honor of the Monk Macarius of Egypt. From September 1982 to July 1985 he studied at the Faculty of Theology of the University. Martin Luther in Halle (GDR) and at the same time served in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles in the historical cemetery in the city of Weimar. Upon returning from Germany, he taught at the MDSiA.

In 2004, Archimandrite Macarius was confirmed with the rank of professor. From June 2001 to March 2010 he was Head of the Regency School at the MDA. In 2013 - honorary professor at the Yekaterinburg Theological Seminary, in 2014 awarded the academic title of Doctor of Church History. He took part in the preparation of the publication of “The History of the Russian Church” by Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov), and participated as a speaker in various foreign, international, All-Russian and regional conferences. Awarded orders of the Russian Orthodox Church, since 1989 member of the Synodal Liturgical Commission, with the beginning of the publication “ Orthodox Encyclopedia" - Member of the Scientific Editorial Council of the Orthodox Encyclopedia, member expert council according to Makaryevsky readings. The author's bibliography includes more than 750 publications. In one of his latest publications, the author proposed a new periodization of the History of the Russian Church.

INTRODUCTION

Preface
The feat of the Apostle Andrew
Background of the Russian hierarchy

PART 1. METROPOLITANS OF ALL Rus' UNDER THE OMOPHORUS OF THE PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE

CHAPTER I. THE BEGINNING OF THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE RUSSIAN LAND
- Saint Metropolitan Michael (988-992
- Metropolitan Leonty (992-1008
- Metropolitan John I (before 1018-1035
- Metropolitan Theopempt (1035-1047
CHAPTER II. METROPOLITAN-THEOLOGIES
- Saint Metropolitan Hilarion (1051-1054)
  - Confession of Faith of Metropolitan Hilarion of Kyiv
- Metropolitan Ephraim (1055-1061)
  - Writing by Metropolitan Ephraim
- Metropolitan George (1062-1076
  - George, Metropolitan of Kiev, competition with Latin; 70 wines
- Saint Metropolitan John II (1076-1089)
  - Letter from Metropolitan John F. Prodromus About the instruction from the rules denouncing the Latin heresy of Metropolitan John of Russia to the Archbishop of Rome about unleavened workshop
- Metropolitan John III (1090-1091)
- Saint Metropolitan Nicholas (1093-1104)
- Metropolitan Nikephoros I (1104-1121)
  - Teaching of Metropolitan Nikifor of Russia on Cheese Fat Week in the church to the abbot and to the entire priestly and deacon rank and to the worldly people
- Metropolitan Nikita (1122-1126)
  - Prologue legend about the bringing of the finger of John the Baptist from Byzantium to
- Metropolitan Michael II (1130-1145)
CHAPTER III. INCREASE OF PRINCE Strife IN Rus'
- Metropolitan Clement (Smolyatich; 1147-1155)
- Saint Metropolitan Constantine I (1156-1159)
  - Nikita Acominatus (Choniates). Treasure of the Orthodox faith. Book XXIV: Council
- Metropolitan Theodore (1161-1163)
- Metropolitan John IV (1164-1166)
- Metropolitan Constantine II (1167-1170)
  - On the 1st day of the month of August, the word of Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky about the mercy of God
- Metropolitan Michael III (1171-1174)
- Metropolitan Nikephoros II (1175/76-1202)
- Metropolitan Matthew (1209-1220)
- Metropolitan Kirill I (1225-1233)
  - Certificate of the Patriarch of Nicaea to Metropolitan Kirill of Kyiv
- Metropolitan Joseph (1236-1240)
CHAPTER IV. AFTER BATYEV’S RUIN
- Saint Metropolitan Cyril II (dec. 1242-1281)
  - Message from Prince Svyatoslav of Mosia to Metropolitan Kirill
  - Label of the Horde Khan Mengu-Temir to the Russian clergy. Steppe
- Saint Metropolitan Maximus (1283-1305)
  - Teachings of Saint Maximus
  - The month of December on the 15th day The Legend of the Holy and Blessed First See, Metropolitan Maxim of Vladimir and Moscow and all Russia
CHAPTER V. THE BEGINNING OF THE RISE OF MOSCOW
- Wonderworker Metropolitan Peter (1308-1326)
  - Teachings of the humble Peter, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus', abbot, priest and deacon
  - 1308-1326 — Metropolitan Peter’s teaching to the clergy (about penances and widow priests) and to the laity (about zeal for the church)
  - Teachings of Peter Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus'
  - Teachings of Metropolitan Peter
  - Teachings of Metropolitan Peter, when Rev. Bishop Andrew of Tfera was in the Gathering
- Saint Metropolitan Theognostos (1328-1353)
  - 1339 - Letter from Patriarch John XIV to Metropolitan Theognostus on the discovery of the relics of St. Peter
  - Teachings of Theognostus, Metropolitan of All Rus'
- Wonderworker Metropolitan Alexy (1354-1378)
  - Teachings of Metropolitan Alexy from the Apostolic Acts to Christ-loving Christians
  - Instruction of the humble Alexy Metropolitan of All Rus' to the abbot and priest and deacon and to all faithful peasants, people named after the cross, who are in the Orthodox faith, of the entire region of Novgorod and Gorodets: grace to you and peace from God above
  - 1363 - Word of the blessed Alexei Metropolitan
  - 1378 - List of spiritual letters from our holy father Alexei, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', a new miracle worker
CHAPTER VI. TROUBLES IN THE METROPOLIA
- Archimandrite Michael († 1379) - candidate for the Russian Metropolis. Metropolitan Pimen (1380-1389)
- Saint Metropolitan Dionysius I (1384-1385)
  - 1382 - Certificate of Suzdal Archbishop Dionysius to the Pskov Snetogorsk Monastery on compliance with the rules of monastic community
  - 1383 - Message from Saint Dionysius to Prince Demetrius Donskoy. From another message about the guilty
CHAPTER VII. TROUBLES AND SUCCESSES OF MOSCOW Rus'. THE SUBSEQUENT RISE OF THE MOTHER CITY
- Saint Metropolitan Cyprian (1375-1390-1406)
  - Spiritual certificate of Metropolitan Cyprian
- Saint Metropolitan Photius (1408-1410-1431)
  - [Letter from Monk Isidore] to Metropolitan of Russia [Photius]
  - 1420, January 24. — Letter of grant from Metropolitan Photius to the Goritsky Monastery
  - Letter of permission and prayer from Metropolitan Photius
CHAPTER VIII. Princely strife, the fight for the Great Reign
- Metropolitan Gerasim (1433-1435)
  - 1414 - Desk letter from Metropolitan Photius to Bishop Gerasim of Vladimir-Volynsk
  - 1434, November. — Letter from Pope Eugene to Metropolitan Gerasim
- Metropolitan Cardinal Isidore (1436-1441).
  - District message of Metropolitan-Cardinal Isidore
  - 1440, July 27. - Certificate of Metropolitan Cardinal Isidore
  - 1441, February 5. - Charter charter of the Kyiv prince Alexander Vladimirovich to the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and Metropolitan Isidore of Kyiv and All Rus'
  - Message from Prince Vasily Vasilyevich to the monks of Svyatogorsk
  - The Tale of Simeon of Suzdal about the Eighth Council of Florence. Isidor's Cathedral and its circulation

PART 2. AUTOCEPHALY OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH

CHAPTER I. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INDEPENDENT EXISTENCE OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH
- Wonderworker Metropolitan Jonah (1448-1461)
  - 1459 - Message from Metropolitan [Jonah] to Lithuania to all rulers about Orthodox faith, and about strengthening, and about Gregory the Metropolitan, Sidorov’s student
  - 1459, December 13. - Messenger from all the Russian rulers to the Lithuanian rulers, who received ordination from Metropolitan Jonah, about Metropolitan Gregory, who left Rome for the metropolis of Kyiv
  - [Address to Saint Jonah by Hieromonk Athanasius]
  - Before 1461 - L. Korytkov’s resignation letter to Metropolitan Jonah
  - Blessed letter from Metropolitan [Jonah] to the parishioners of the cathedral
- Saint Metropolitan Theodosius (1461-1464)
  - 1462, January. — Teaching of Metropolitan Theodosius on the miracle of healing at the relics of St. Alexis of Moscow
  - The word is commendable to the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paul. Creation of Theodosius, Archbishop of All Rus'
  - 1462, August 4. — Desk letter of Metropolitan Theodosius to Hegumen Parthenius, rector of the monastery of the Archangel Michael in Suzdal 1464, April 4. — Desk letter of Metropolitan Theodosius to Metropolitan Joseph of Caesarea Philippi
  - *Message* [to former Metropolitan Theodosius]
- Saint Metropolitan Philip I (1464-1473)
  - 1465 - Certificate of Metropolitan Philip to the rector of the Intercession Monastery “on Bogon”, Abbot Leo
  - 1467 - List of Dionysius Patriarch of Constantinople written to Moscow
  - [Life of Metropolitan Philip I]
CHAPTER II. STRENGTHENING THE PRINCE'S INFLUENCE ON CHURCH AFFAIRS. FIGHTING HERESY
- Saint Metropolitan Gerontius (1473-1489)
  - 1480, November 13. - Conciliar message of the clergy of the Russian Church to Grand Duke John Vasilyevich on the Ugra
  - [Certificate of V.F. Sample given to Metropolitan Gerontius]
  - On the 27th day of the month of August, the presentation of the relics of His Holiness Metropolitans Theognostus, Cyprian, Photius, Jonah and Philip
  - The Legend of the Blessed and Right Reverend Saint Gerontius, Metropolitan of Moscow
  - Heresy of the Judaizers. Metropolitan Zosima (1490-1494)
  - Council verdict of 1490
- Saint Metropolitan Simon (1495 - † 1511)
  - Message from a monk deacon, prayer to the archbishop
  - 1501, February 1st. — The charter of Metropolitan Simon, given to the Venerable Cornelius of Komel
  - 1503, August 6. - Council resolution on the non-collection of bribes from clergy during ordination
  - 1503, September 12. — Conciliar resolution on widowed priests and deacons and on the prohibition for monks and nuns to live in the same monasteries
CHAPTER III. DESTRONED
- Metropolitan Varlaam (1511-1521)
  - 1516, July. — Message from Patriarch Theoliptus of Constantinople to Metropolitan Varlaam on almsgiving
  - 1516-1517 — Message from the Athos Vatopedi Monastery of Hegumen Anthimius to Metropolitan Varlaam about the departure of the Svyatogorsk Elder Maxim the Greek with his companions to Moscow
  - 1516-1517 — Message from the Athos Panteleimon Monastery from Hegumen Paisius to Metropolitan Varlaam about almsgiving
- Metropolitan Daniel (1522-1539)
  - 1537, May. — The order of Metropolitan Daniel, given to Bishop Dositheus of Sarsk and Podonsk and Archimandrite Philofey of Simonovsky about speeches to Prince Andrei Ioannovich Staritsky to summon him to Moscow and, in case of refusal, to condemn him to damnation
  - Message from Metropolitan Daniel
  - 1539, March 26. — Letter of renunciation of Metropolitan Daniel
- Saint Metropolitan Joasaph (1539-1542)
  - 1526-1527 — An amorous journey of Mikhail Kuzmin Zubov and his son Andrei and the elders of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Sergius Kuzmin and Joasaph Skripitsin to the Zubov land of the village of Novy with the Trinity land of the village of Sknyatinov in the Kinel camp of the Pereyaslav district
  - 1548, November. — Correspondence of Metropolitans Macarius and Joasaph
  - From materials of the Stoglavy Cathedral
CHAPTER IV. THE FLOWING OF RUSSIAN CULTURE
- Wonderworker Metropolitan Macarius (1542-1563)
  - 1547, January 16. — Congratulatory speech of Metropolitan Macarius to the newly crowned Tsar John IV
  - 1552, November. — Contribution entry of Metropolitan Macarius in the September Assumption Celebration Menea
  - 1555, August. — Certificate of Metropolitan Macarius to the Vilna Catholic Bishop Paul
  - On the 31st day of the month of December, a brief legend about the life and sojourn of our wonderful father Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, miracle worker.
  - The legend of the appearance of our reverend father Alexander of Svir, the miracle worker, and those like him in the saints of our father Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, when the church came to consecrate St. Nicholas
- Metropolitan Afanasy (1564-1566)
  - 1564, February 2. - Cathedral charter on the white hood
  - Afterword of the Apostle, published in Moscow in 1564
  - 1564, September 29. — Letter of prayer from Metropolitan Athanasius to Bishop Matthew of Sarsk and Podonsk on the occasion of the war with Poland
CHAPTER V. ROYAL ARBITRARY
- Wonderworker Metropolitan Philip II (1566-1568)
  - 1555, August 7. - Letter of Metropolitan Macarius to Veliky Novgorod
  - 1566, July 20. — Verdict on the election of Solovetsky Abbot Philip to the Moscow Metropolis
  - 1566 - Certificate of Metropolitan Philip to the Solovetsky Monastery
  - 1567, November 24. - Letter of prayer from Metropolitan Philip to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery on the occasion of the war with the Crimean Khan and the Polish King
- Metropolitan Kirill III (1568-1572)
  - Letter of release from Metropolitan Kirill
  - 1571, March. — Certificate of Metropolitan Kirill to Patriarch Mitrofan of Constantinople
- Metropolitan Anthony (1572-1581)
  - 1578 - Message from the pious Tsar and Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich and the entire consecrated Council to the great passion-bearer and confessor to the Grand Duke Mikhail of Chernigov and his boyar Fedor, who has the image of the Sits
  - 1575, December 20. - Letter of grant from Metropolitan Anthony to Saint Varlaam of Suzdal
  - 1580, December 27. — Certificate issued by Metropolitan Anthony
- Metropolitan Dionysius II (1581-1586)
  - The rite of installation of Metropolitan Dionysius
  - 1581, August 1. - Certificate of Metropolitan Dionysius to Smolensk Bishop Sylvester
  - 1584, October 30. - Royal tarkhana letter to Metropolitan Dionysius for the settlement of Svyatoslavl
  - 1586, June 17. - Certificate of Metropolitan Dionysius for the construction of churches in the monastic villages of the Ipatiev Monastery
  - Life of Metropolitan Dionysius

Names of the Metropolitans of Kyiv from the baptism of Vladimirov

Conclusion

Some results of the study

Application

Ancient "horology"

List of abbreviations used in bibliographic references